Engaged in Walt Disney World

So, my WDW vacation is over, but I have some wonderful memories as always. One of which is that my boyfriend of 3 years asked me to marry him!!!

We were standing on our balcony in Saratoga Springs overlooking the water when he took my righthand ring (that he gave me for our 6 month) and pretended to put it on my left hand. He had actually put on a diamond Tiffany engagement ring and said "Will you marry me?" It was so cute. Of course I said yes! The ring is BEAUTIFUL (it's platinum!) and I am SO happy, it doesn't seem real. He even asked my parents for their permission to ask me. We are starting such a wonderful journey together and in a few weeks, we will back in Florida! I can't wait.

I KNOW MY ROLE!!!

Hi everyone! Today is my last day of vacation here in Walt Disney World and I have great news! I know my actual role!!! Mike and I met a very nice person who is doing Fall Advantage on Kilamanjaro Safaris and he said he would look us up on the HUB!!! He facebooked me and told me that I am working at EPCOT Attractions West (which is more than likely Mission Space and Test Track!!!!) Thank you Adam!!! I am SO excited to know what I am doing and it is really funny because we were planning on going to EPCOT today anyway! :-) Unfortunately, Michael was not yet listed on the HUB so his specifics are not yet known.

Yay!

Have a magical day!

Disney World

I'm in Disney!!! It is day 3 of my family's Disney World vacation, and we are having a great time. I have been noticing several people doing the CP here and have done a little bit of chatting with them... Mike also tried to speak with someone who works on the Monorail to see what he would be doing for the CP (Transportation) and they said that he would be helping people on/off the monorail and eventually he may be trained to drive!! So jeal.

Anyway, I discovered a ride that I would love to operate: Studio Backlot Tour. I never thought of it before, but we went on it yesterday and it was so much fun! So, I don't think I will be calling for any more requests, seeing as it is so close, but I'm sure I will have fun with anything I do.

Oh, I also had breakfast with Belle this morning at 1900 Park Fare in the Grand Floridian Resort and we are twins! lol I don't know what casting was thinking when they didn't hire me for a character, more specifically, Belle from Beauty and the Beast. :-P I don't really think I looked that much like her, but she certainly looked the part, it was great. She may have been a little more thin than I am but I could just be being critical of myself. Whatev.

Login Page

So I called yesterday to find out about the Login page thing. The first time I called, I spoke with a man who I have talked to before (who never seems pleasant, which is strange because that is not the Disney way) and he basically told me it was not there because I was using FireFox and they only recommend that you use Internet Explorer to look at their website. I said Ok and tried going on the site with Explorer. Same thing happened, no role.

So I called later that day and spoke with a very nice young lady who told me that she will look it up. I was really hoping that she was going to say "Ah, yes you have been selected to host The Great Movie Ride or Jungle Cruise" but unfortunately that didn't happen. She said that I am "in the system for Attractions" so I guess that it means absolutely nothing that my role disappeared.

Oh well. On the DISboards, someone received a phone call from Disney telling her that she was selected to host Innoventions and she would have to memorize about 15 pages of script to spiel off about different products. Someone who is a current cast member with Disney responded to her saying that when you are selected for that, you also get a $1 premium pay increase! So instead of making measily minimum at $7.26 in FL, if you are selected for this, you get at least $8.26 (which is almost respectable!! lol). So that is exciting for her.

Hopefully I will find out before I get down there what I will be doing. We shall see!

Login Website

Where is my role???

I logged into the website today and found that my role had disappeared. It still has all of my correct season and date information, but the role has disappeared. Other people on DISboards have had this happen too, but I am going to call to see if maybe they can tell me what my actual job will be!

We'll see!

Rambling

So... not too much news the past couple of days. Definitely not going to be a character, which is upsetting, but I am really excited for the program. Talked to my step-cousin Tyler yesterday which was nice... (he is also doing the CP).

In other news, I am going to Disney for vacation one week from Wednesday, which means I am also almost done being an RA! Don't get me wrong, it was fun, and I made a lot of great friends, but it was stressful at times and a little much to combine with an engineering full course load.

I know it's early (still have about 40 days until I leave), but I kind of started packing today... I put my new TV and a twin comforter and sheet in one of my space bags (which was a great investment!).

Anyway, it's funny that now that classes are over, I don't know what to do with my time. I'm so used to being busy nearly 24/7 that I don't know what to do when I have down time. It's good, because it makes me more confident that I will be able to handle working full time and taking 4 online classes.

Auf wiedersehen

Attraction Request

So, I called Disney again yesterday to request a specific attraction. At first I wated to only ask for Jungle Cruise or The Great Movie Ride because those are the most guest interactive and challenging because you have to memorize a long spiel. But then I realized that since Mike is doing transportation, he may be working on the monorails until really late. (The monorails run up to 2 hours after the last park closes- and Magic Kingdom can be open till 2am with extra magic hours!) So, I would want our schedules to coincide at least a little bit (either both working mornings or both working nights or something), meaning that I should prob work at the Magic Kingdom at an attraction that is open late for extra magic hours. In addition, since I will no longer have my RA income, I will really need to be able to pick up extra shifts (Disney only guarantees something like 32 hours of work per week) to make sure ends meet. BUT, I am taking 12 CREDITS of online classes at URI while on the program. Needless to say, I am going to be extremely busy. Fortunately, Mike doesn't need to keep concurrent full time status to keep his financial aid (but I do, which is why I have to take so many classes) so he will be able to pick up extra shifts to make more money for us. He will, however, still be taking 2 online courses (he needs them to graduate on time).

So anyway, I decided to request either the Great Movie Ride at Hollywood Studios or anything in the Magic Kingdom (even though I really want Jungle Cruise). By the way, none of these requests are guaranteed, if there is more need in the Animal Kingdom, I may end up there- who knows! Anywhere I end up, I know I will have an AMAZING time!

I think that on my family Christmas vacation to Disney World (in less than 2 weeks!!!), I will ask cast members at different attractions who may look college aged if they are in the WDWCP and what they get for hours, etc. Maybe I will end up calling the recruiting office back to completely change my preferences!

So, that is all for now. Sorry my posts are so long!

Tabitha

Official Audition Results

Well, that email worked.

Just checked my email to get that sinking feeling in my stomach. This is what I read:

We would like to thank you for attending the recent Walt Disney World® Entertainment audition in your area. Unfortunately, you were not selected for a role as a Character Performer.

If you have not already completed an interview and would like to be considered for other roles, please call 1-800-722-2930.

If you are still awaiting a final decision on your status, you will be notified within 4-6 weeks.

If you were already extended an invitation to join the Disney College Program, we encourage you to notify us of your decision through our Web site as soon as possible.

If you have already accepted an invitation for a different role, please continue to visit our Web site to help prepare for your arrival.

Thank you again for your interest in the Disney College Program!

Please let us know if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Disney College Recruiting

This was tough to hear.

More on the Audition and PI stuff

So, I made a phone call today to the Disney Job Line and they told me that I am STILL BEING CONSIDERED FOR THE PROFESSIONAL INTERNSHIPS I APPLIED FOR!!! I can't believe it. But at the same time, I feel like they don't actually know. Shouldn't I have heard by now? When I applied for PIs for this past summer, no one ever got back to me. I just never received an email rejecting me at all (and I was never offered a position either).

Honestly, it's just one less decision to make :-)

In terms of audition news, there is none. Brenna wrote on the DIS boards that she thinks those who have not heard about their status are in the character pool. I am NOT keeping my hopes up and I plan to audition when I am down there just the same. So, I have emailed Ms. Marciari several times now with no response from her. Once I received an automatically generated response because she was on Vaca. and another time I got nothing at all. So, I just sent this:

Ms. Marciari:

Hello, my name is Tabitha McLellan and I auditioned for a position in entertainment for the Spring 2010 season in the Disney College Program. I am contacting you because I was told that I would receive an email telling me one way or the other within 2-3 weeks of auditioning and have yet to receive one (over 5 weeks later). I was wondering if there is still any possibility that I will be offered a Character Performer Role, or if everyone has already been offered a role who passed the audition, or if perhaps I am in some sort of character pool with a pending status until further notice?

Any information is greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
Tabitha McLellan

I hope she responds to this. I have heard that other people have gotten answers this way. I mean, I basically know that it's a "no" but I can't help but wonder why I haven't received a rejection email yet? If only they knew how badly I wanted this.

Audition Results

Hello everyone! I am happy to see that I have a total of one follower now, lol.

I am writing because I called the recruiting office today and they told me that I am no longer being considered for a Character Performer role with the WDWCP this Spring 2010 Season. I was, however, told that I should audition at the end of my season to try to extend my program and I will be able to get feedback about my audition at that point.

Who knows. I have heard many different things, like people getting pulled at check-in, etc.

Congrats, everyone who made it!

Tabitha

PI News

I called casting a few minutes ago and they told me that I am still being considered for the Costuming Analyst Internship and the Industrial Engineering Internship and that decisions will be made by the end of this week (Dec. 4th) (like I haven't heard that one before...) Oh well, I should find out sooner or later I suppose. Either way, I am going to Disney!!!

Tabitha

The Phone Interview

Hello, I am back (within only a few short minutes! lol) to tell you about the wonderful phone interview that I had.

I would like to start off by reminding you that I had already applied once for the WDWCP last spring. I got into the program then (Merchandise) as well, so I will tell you about that phone interview first so that you will know how unprepared I was! lol

I was a commuter last year and the only time I had available to take a phone call was in between classes last year, which totally stressed me out because they highly recommend that you use a home phone for your interview. But I had no choice at that point than to use my cell and hope for the best. Fortunately, I found a place with decent reception. I sat and waited in classroom by myself, sweating, getting extremely nervous with my pen and paper ready to take notes. Finally, a phone call! They asked me a few things that I did not expect. The first thing was my top three choices. I knew that I wanted to be a Character so I went on this spiel about how ever since I saw Beauty and the Beast the live stage show in MGM Studios that I knew I wanted to do that. She then told me that I would not be able to sing or perform in a show, that might be something I could look into with full-time employment. People who are Character performers do meet and greets and sign autographs. She asked if I would be willing to wear hot heavy costumes in 100+ degree whether and I was scared. I wanted to be a princess! Why was she asking these things? I said yes, though, hoping it would help. I knew that I would have to audition and I told her that I would prefer Rochester since it was the closest to my house (still 6.5 hours away!). I told her my next choice would be Bibbity Bobbity Boutique Hostess where she asked me some questions about what I would do if there was a huge line of screaming girls all wanting to get their hair and nails done. I had no idea how to respond and I told her that I had never been there, so I really didn't know what to do. Should I sing a song with them? lol, that was a fail. I told her my third choice was PhotoPass Photographer. She asked what kind of experience I had with cameras and I told her that I own my own camera and take pictures of people and places all the time. Nothing really seemed to impress this interviewer. She then told me that they take a lot of people for Merchandise and asked if I would be interested in that. I said yes and she asked me what I would do if a customer wanted a certain item and we didn't have it in the store. I told her that although I was unfamiliar with their system, if it was possible, I would search the inventory of other stores throughout the parks to see if the item was available there and if they were staying on property, I would have it shipped to their hotel. If it was not available anywhere on site, I would direct her to the website where she could purchase it. I think she liked this answer because I was offered a merchandise position months later after I decided not to attend the character audition.

Now I will tell you about my confident interview this time around:

So, my interviewer Tiffany called only a couple minutes after they said she would. I picked up and she told me who she was and everything. I was all ready with my top three choices and of course she didn't ask! She said that based on my work history we will focus on Quick Service Food and Beverage and we will focus on Attractions because I am an engineering major. She asked if there was anything else I was interested in. I said that I was interested in Character Performer and she said that they are doing things a little differently this year, you have to be INVITED to audition!!! She said they are reserving auditions spots for mainly theatre and performance majors and people with theatre experience. Fortunately, I actually have theatre experience. I told her that I was president of my high school drama club and I have performed in several shows. I also directed and produced my own cabaret during my senior year where I was the Master of Ceremonies and I performed as Belle in scenes for Beauty and the Beast! Thankfully that was enough to get an invite to audition. So, she also asked me how I would use teamwork to accomplish things in a F&B setting and I told her that you really can't do anything without teamwork in a restaurant. If the person taking orders does not communicate them to the cooks, the food will not go out, etc. She also asked how I would feel about memorizing and delivering long announcements for an attraction and opporating complicated ride systems. I said that I would welcome the opportunity. So, a couple weeks later, I received and invitation for QSFB.

The End. :-)

What a journey it has been...

Tomorrow marks four weeks after completion of the Character Performer Audition for the Walt Disney World College Program in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

I have read several other people's blogs and have found them all very helpful in my journey throughout the 'CP' process thusfar, therefore I would like to think that this will one day help others who are in my shoes.

My journey really began when I visited Walt Disney World for the second time in my life for Christmas with my family in 2006. I spoke with a cast member working for DVC and she told me all about the program. I knew instantly that this is what I wanted to do. I had been considering working for Disney for several years now and I have applied for the program for the second time this past August. I had previously applied last year for the Fall 2009 season and was unable to do it because they did not give me an answer in time (I had already told my boss that I would be staying and she promoted me to a supervisor). I am glad now that I made this decision. It broke my heart to decline the opportunity, but there was no way that I could do the Fall Advantage program (it would be a SERIOUS pay cut, not to mention the promotion thing). So, I looked over my schedule for the rest of my 5-year intense program and realized that I could apply for Spring 2010! It actually turns out that this works better for my schedule than Fall 09 would have. So I applied as soon as the E-Presentation was available (August 26th) and was accepted via email on September 18th! This was a very exciting time for me, as I had been waiting so long to do the program!!! I was accepted for Quick Service Food and Beverage (as I figured I would be do to the nature of the phone interview- I will speak more about this later). I went to my school's Internship Office to figure out how to receive credit for the program. To my dismay, URI does not under any circumstance give credit for this program (which is ridiculous seeing as impressive schools like Perdue give credit!). I went back to that office to present my case several times, even showing them the courses that I could take that were ACE accredited, etc. It seemed that my only option would be to take online courses through URI to receive credit. I spoke with my Adviser about this problem and she worked really hard with me and everyone else involved to find out my options. Seeing as I am a planner, I had already looked into everything she did, so nothing new came about. I need to maintain concurrent enrollment to keep my scholarship at URI, which I NEED. So, I will be taking 4 online courses to keep it. My adviser found Professional Internships on the Disney Website (which I have applied for before and had no success). I told her it was near impossible to get a professional internship without doing the CP and she insisted that I try anyway. I applied for 3 professional internships on October 20th (one day before my 20th birthday!): Labor Analyst Internship, Industrial Engineer Internship (this is one of my two majors), and the Costuming Project Analyst Internship (this was my top choice). I received an email from the Labor Analyst Internship on October 28th (only 5 days after the application deadline) notifying me that I have been rejected. I have still yet to hear from the other two internships and I called to find out if I was still being considered last week. They told me that everyone would find out by the 28th (yesterday) of November. I have not heard yet, so I will give them a call on Monday to find out what the story is. Unfortunatly, I have already paid my housing deposit for the CP and this would not be refunded if I did receive a PI, but I would still be super excited (especially since I would likely be eligible for college credit and wouldn't have to take bogus onlines).

I forgot to mention that during my time of trying to get credit for the program, I was told by my adviser that participating in attractions would make me eligible for credit, so I emailed the recruiting team and they were able to move me to Attractions :)

This is wonderful because I have been in the F&B industry my entire life (my family owns a small restaurant, which is why they thought that I was so qualified for the position). So, I am really happy with Attractions and I am still trying to figure out what rides I should request...

On with my journey (sorry this is so long!!! I should have started this a while ago).

Once my role was changed to attractions I again tried to get credit for this internship. My adviser told me that she could get me credit for basically letting people on and off rides so no luck once again. Well, this was OK with me because I REALLY wanted to audition to be a Character Performer (what? you don't think Engineers can act? lol) I did NOT tell my adviser this because she is anti anything that does not involve engineering, lol. But a dream is a dream and when else would I get this opportunity?

Since I had applied for this program last year, I knew how the process went. You apply for Character, audition, and then when you are rejected, they will put you in another role with what space they have left. Well, as it turns out, they changed things this year!!! This is actually a really good thing for people who want to do the CP no matter what, because you are guaranteed a role (if you are accepted), then you audition for Character Performer and your role will be changed if you pass. (I'm really sorry if anyone is reading this who doesn't know anything about the CP, because it is all out of order and confusing!!!)

So, back to the beginning.

8/26/09- Watched E-Presentation, applied online, passed online interview
9/1/09- Had phone interview with Tiffany (same name as my sister, what fate!)
9/4/09- Received a "Thank You For Interviewing" Email stating that I will hear within 2-3 weeks
9/18/09- Receive my Invitation via Email
9/?/09- Got my purple folder for the second time in my life :-D
9/19/09- Received my email confirming the dates that I chose and confirming that I paid my Program Assessment Fee
9/21/09- Realized that I needed to take summer classes! Called Recruiting office, they were able to change my dates!!! Received a confirmation email for the date change.
10/?/09- Attempted to get credit several times, changed roles to Attractions, etc. Once I found out that I would not receive credit for Attractions, I called back to ask to be put back in the Rochester, NY Auditions.
10/8/09- Received my first Disney College Program Newsletter!!!
10/20/09- Reserved a hotel for the night of my audition in Rochester, NY. Also, applied for 3 PIs and took assessment for Costuming Analyst Internship
10/21/09- My birthday! Mike (my boyfriend of nearly 3 years) decides that he wants to apply for the WDWCP!!!! I am so happy! He later does his phone interview and passes with flying colors!
10/27/09- Received an email reminder for my upcoming Audition in Rochester, NY!
10/28/09- Mike receives his invitation via email!!! He is doing transportation, I am so happy! He is accepted into Spring Advantage (I am spring) :( He calls recruiting and they change him to Spring!!! My dates are no longer available, so we decide it is best to move in on the same day and he will leave two weeks after me. :-( Maybe this can be sorted out when we get there?
11/2/09- Drove to Rochester, NY (a 6-7 hour drive!) with my wonderful boyfriend, Mike. We spend the night, met some friends who are also from RI and went out with them. We each received a "Next Steps" sheet indicating that we would hear the results of our audition via email within 2-3 weeks (which was last week, still nothing!)
11/3/09- Roommate Notification. (I later found someone else who was a better match for me)
11/4/09- Found out that my dates were changed (this is great because they are now the same dates as Mike's!)
11/23/09- Emailed Christ Marciari (the contact listed on my "Next Steps" sheet) because I hadn't heard within the 3 week period. Received an "out of office" automatic email saying that she will not be back until 11/30
11/25/09- Received an email (almost died because I thought it was my audition results) from recruiting saying that my audition results are still being processed (no answer yet, Grr)
11/29/09- Decide to finally have my own BLOG about my DCP experience.

Now, I decided that I would talk about my interview, and I will also talk about my audition experience. But I will do it in separate entries since this one is already ridiculously long!

That's all for now!

-Tabitha